Pop up van

Submitted: Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 12:57
ThreadID: 13527 Views:2799 Replies:5 FollowUps:4
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We are in our early sixties and are investigating the purchase of a pop up unit as we do not wish to tow a van or trailer.There will be only two of us and we intend to borrow one from our friends prior to purchase. As we are totally inexperienced in this area any suggestions would be appreciated
John H
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Reply By: flappan - Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 13:25

Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 13:25
Popup Caravan you mean ? or a Popup campervan , like a Jayco.

New or Used . . .

Budget . . .

On road . . . offroad.

Towed by what ?

Little more info would be helpful.
AnswerID: 62052

Follow Up By: JOKH - Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 14:17

Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 14:17
Thanks for your response. We are looking for a single on road unit with a maximum length of say 18 feet (5 plus metres) eg hi-ace/combi van, with a roof which can be raised to standing height with an approximate price tag of $20,000.
John H
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Follow Up By: flappan - Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 14:31

Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 14:31
Ahh . . . different still.

Not my specialty.

My uncle has one . . . Yota Hiace . . . diesel I believe. He bought it brand new though , and decked it out . . . No idea on cost.

What about a Yota Coaster Bus. ? Seen a few 2nd handies around . . . don't recall costs though sorry.

(ps I like the idea of a little more room then the smaller Hiace idea)
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FollowupID: 323428

Reply By: Rosscoe - Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 15:36

Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 15:36
Lots of reviews in Caravan and Motorhome Magazine. Maybe worth buying a few back issues and do a bit of reading to get some ideas. Also if you are unsure of the life style there are plenty of places who will hire you a motorhome and there are a lot of types and sizes available.

Motorhomes seem to be very popular. I prefer to tow a smallish caravan, which I can set up and leave. I can then take day trips to explore or even run up to the shop to pick up a bottle of milk etc without packing up my transport. Towing may seem a little daunting at first but with modern vehicles and vans it's pretty straight forward if you take it easy.

AnswerID: 62075

Follow Up By: flappan - Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 15:46

Monday, Jun 07, 2004 at 15:46
Agree.

The idea of being able to setup your home without needing to leave the vehicle is a positive. Especially for a quick getaway if needed.

Ducking down the shops to pick up some milk isn't on though.
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FollowupID: 323434

Reply By: stevesub - Tuesday, Jun 08, 2004 at 12:16

Tuesday, Jun 08, 2004 at 12:16
We have a pop-top 78 sreies Troopy. Great truck and enough room for 2. Wewanted a single unit like yourselves and also wanted to do club 4wd trips. The Troopy is perfect for us.

2 burner gas stove with grill, 40L fridge, 45 litres water, 180 litres fuel, sleeping for 3, etc. Even have the TV and 230VAC inverter now. We tend to carry up to a weeks food plus 20l extra water. Have solar showers, toilet tent, portable toilet seat and carry all our 4wd recovery gear incl a winch. Main problem is only one spare tyre as we do not have the twin spare bracket for the rear. We do carry a second spare tyre, tubes, compressor, tyres levers, etc anyway and take the tyre out at night.

Everything else fits under the seat in the rear or in cupboards except for our clothes - 2 small bags fix that problem plus 2 chairs and a table that live behind the passenger seat..

Stevesub
Grey Nomads
Somewhere in OZ
AnswerID: 62217

Reply By: Troopie - Tuesday, Jun 08, 2004 at 13:09

Tuesday, Jun 08, 2004 at 13:09
G'day JOKH
Like Stevesub - I too have a 2001 78 series pop-top troopie. I have had mine for several months now and so far it has been brilliant! It's my second Troopie though so I knew what I was after. For about $20k you wont get one as new as Steve's or mine - but if you look in the camper section of the 4wd trader mags there are usually a few in there.

There are also a few dealers around Australia that specialise in Campers - one in Balina for example.

Most of these vehicles are ex-rental so make sure you do your homework if buying one. I found there to be a huge difference in the quality of similar milage vehicles.

As far as comfort and versatility goes - there are a few +ves and -ves.

Positives:
-very quick and easy to set up/pack up
-highly mobile - no trailers
-plenty of accessories available

Negatives:
-have to pack up to move vehicle - made easy by how easy they are to set up.
-fairly limited in terms of inside space for moving around - if you need to for some reason
-you can't have a normal roof rack

Cheers
AnswerID: 62232

Reply By: ZEDjay - Wednesday, Jun 09, 2004 at 22:04

Wednesday, Jun 09, 2004 at 22:04
Hi John,

we have a toyota Hiace -- it's fantastic.
I found that Max at Ballina Campers is a great help with advice you need http://www.ballinacampers.com.au/

We have only had our camper for a couple of months (we inherited it from my dad) and are still learning, but it is so fantastic to just be able to jump in it and take off. And when you are at the other end, it only takes minutes to get the camp chairs out and grab a cold drink and put your feet up.

We prefer bush camping and thanks to this website we have found some great spots -suitable for 2WD.

One of our early purchases was egg-shell foam to but on top of the fold out bed -- it made it so much more comfortable.

Just go for it -- it's easy and great fun.

Cheers
Zj

AnswerID: 62519

Follow Up By: Russ - Friday, Jun 11, 2004 at 00:19

Friday, Jun 11, 2004 at 00:19
John,
There comes a time when you want some comfort. Been camping for over 40 yrs, tents, tent trailer, camper trailer (Gold Stream), Hi Ace camper.

You do not want any of these get a comfortable small pop top. It is a compromise. With campers as we have used to get in and out one of you has to climb over the other, plus other negatives that have been mentioned.

We are in early to mid 50's now, planning ahead & will buy a pop top, currently disposing of our Gold Stream and tenting it more.

Good luck.
Regards
Russ
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FollowupID: 324036

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